


Bonded

by yunmei97



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, Larry Stylinson - Fandom, Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, One Direction, One Direction (Band), liam payne - Fandom, niall horan - Fandom, zayn malik - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - No One Direction, Cute Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Endgame Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Established Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, F/M, Falling In Love, Home, M/M, Mentioned One Direction, New York, New York City, OT5 Feels (One Direction), OT5 Fluff (One Direction), OT5 Friendship (One Direction), Song: Home (One Direction), Soulmates Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Young Harry Styles/Young Louis Tomlinson, Young Love, larry stylinson - Freeform, one direction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:35:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29467353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yunmei97/pseuds/yunmei97
Summary: “Guidance means to help someone and lead them in the right direction. So, a compass helps point a ship in the right direction. Both of them help bring you home in the end,”
Relationships: Harry Styles & Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Larry Stylinson, Louis Tomlinson/Harry Styles, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HI! I'm Yun :) I'm just a girl who had an idea for a fan fiction and just started writing. This is all fiction (except One Direction— they are the realest thing I have ever known) and I love Louis, Harry, Zayn, Liam, and Niall with everything in me. Please be kind and leave comments/kudos :)

“Where have you been?? I have been worried sick and calling you nonstop for hours. I was a minute away from calling the cops,” Ella screams at Mark the second he walks through the front door. Harry’s mum and dad have been fighting and yelling at each other a lot lately. Harry spends a lot of time hiding under his bed with his hands over his ears. From what Harry has gathered in his 5-year-old head, his dad’s business was about to go bankrupt due to his poor judgment and even worse business decisions. His parents weren’t doing well in the money department and that put a strain on their marriage. All they did was argue lately and Harry hears his mum cry when she thinks he is asleep. Harry has had a hard time falling asleep recently as well because he worries about his mum, but he doesn’t want her to know and have to worry about him too. She has enough on her plate as is. He knows that she doesn’t want him to know that she is upset and that they are having problems so he closes his eyes and pretends to be asleep every night. His parents don’t know that he can hear the fights. They fake a smile and pretend it is business as usual when Harry’s around. But Harry knows.

It takes a second for Ella to notice Mark’s appearance. His hair disarranged and sticking up all over the place and clothes disheveled. His tie was hanging off his neck and his shirt unbuttoned. It doesn’t take a genius to put together the pieces. Ella could even see a smear of lipstick on his neck. He didn’t even attempt to hide the evidence. It was like he wanted to get caught.

“You cheated on me...” Ella whispers, with tears gathering around her eyes. Mark didn’t even bother to look guilty. He just stood there stone-faced, while the tears streamed down her face.

“How could you?? I stood by your side through your company’s downfall. I’m right here. Fighting for us. And you go out and sleep with another woman. How could you?” Ella screams.

“I’m tired of all this fighting! I’m tired of it all. I’m done. I was looking for an out and this is my out. I don’t want this anymore. I’m tired of coming home and arguing with you every single day. I’m not happy anymore,” Mark screams back with everything he has. And the anger and sharpness of his voice makes Harry jump. His voice was as clear as day and rips through him.

“You? You’re tired of all this?? I’m tired of working all day and on top of that, I have to do all the housework, and take care of Harry. And you—you have one job and you do nothing to help out around here. Harry has had to grow up without a father and every little boy needs their dad, someone he can count on and learn from. But you are never around. I hope he grows up to be nothing like you. I will make damn sure of that. You are a poor excuse of a man and you are absolutely useless, and you have the audacity to stand there with no remorse whatsoever on your face. What the hell is wrong with you?” Ella cries with sobs emitting from her lips. And then she sees red, and starts throwing pillows and other objects she is able to get hands on at Mark.

Harry is upstairs sobbing and he can’t stand to listen to what’s going on downstairs anymore. So, he opens his window and carefully climbs down the tree outside his window. He steps on the thick branch that ends just outside his best friend’s house and window. He sees that the lights are off, but he knocks on the window anyways.

“Louis! Louis!” Harry whispers loudly. And the light in Louis’s room flickers on and Louis comes to the window.

“Haz! What are you doing?” Louis opens his window and sees Harry’s red eyes and tearstained cheeks and quickly helps Harry climb in.

“What’s wrong??” Louis asks, worry filling his big blue eyes. And Harry just starts crying again. Louis pulls and holds Harry in his little arms. Louis can feel his eyes tearing up as well. He can’t stand to see his best friend crying. They have been best friends and inseparable for as long as he could remember. Louis was two years older than Harry and always felt super protective of Harry.

“Mum and dad are fighting again. And it’s bad,” Harry chokes out after crying in Louis’s arms while they were sat on the floor for a few minutes.

“I’m so sowwie, Hazza,” Louis sympathizes and takes a hold of Harry’s small hands in his, encouraging him to continue.

“My dad came home late and I heard that he cheated on my mum. They were yelling at each other and my mum started throwing things. And I couldn’t take it anymore so I came here,” Harry got out as best as he could while hiccupping and sobbing in between.

“I’m sowwie, Haz, I’m so sowwie,” Louis feels bad. This isn’t the first time it has happened. Harry’s parents are always fighting and Harry is almost always over at his house to get away from it. Louis takes Harry in for another hug and rubs his back. They sit like this for a few minutes, Louis letting Harry cry out his feelings, while he tries his best to comfort him.

“Hey Harreh, I got you a present when I went shopping with my mum,” Louis says with a soft smile, breaking the silence. And he thought this would be the perfect time to give Harry the present to make him feel better.

“Really? What is it?” Harry asks, sniffing his nose, but nonetheless, a small smile couldn’t help but appear on his face. Harry loves gifts.

“I’ll show you, little one,” Louis teases and ruffles Harry’s curls a bit before getting up to grab the present. Louis goes into his nightstand and pulls it out before hiding it behind his back so Harry can’t see.

“And here it is, Haz,” Louis presents Harry with a perfectly wrapped box that his mum helped him wrap. Harry’s eyes brighten up while he looks at the present in front of him.

“You can open it, Hazza,” Louis urges. He can’t wait for Harry to see the present. Louis has been so anxious and excited. Harry opens the present and he sees two bracelets.

Louis saw the bracelets when he was at the mall with his mum while she was shopping for a gift for one of her friends.

_They were at a store looking at jewelry and these two matching bracelets caught Louis’s eyes. One of them was blue and the other was a deep green that reminded Louis of Harry’s eyes. Both had strong threads intertwining to give the bracelet a strong and sturdy appearance. In the middle of the blue one was a ship charm and in the middle of the green one was a compass charm._

_“Mum, look! The bracelets! The green one reminds me of Harry’s eyes!” Louis pulling on his mum’s skirt to get her attention._

_“Oh wow, those are really pretty,” Louis’s mum agrees as her eyes land on the bracelets. Louis nods his head furiously._

_“Do you know what the ship and compass charms stand for?” Louis’s mum asks while handing the bracelets for Louis to get a closer look. And Louis shakes his head ‘no’._

_“The ship charm symbolizes a new beginning, good luck, or bravery. You know how a ship takes you to the place you need to go—your destination. There are so many meanings that come with it. The compass symbolizes guidance and it—” Louis’s mum explains._

_“What is guidance?” Louis interrupts curiously._

_“Guidance means to help someone and lead them in the right direction. So, a compass helps point a ship in the right direction. Both of them help bring you home in the end,” His mum continues._

_“Home?” Louis ponders that word curiously._

_“Yes, boobear. Home is the place where you feel safest and happiest in the world. Home sometimes isn’t just a place, but it is also a person who makes you feel happiest. What do you think of when you think of that?” His mum asks and Louis thinks it over in his head. Home. He always thought his home was his house with his parents. It is the place where he feels safest. A person does come into his head when he thinks of home. He doesn’t have to think too much. He feels happiest with his best friend, Harry. Harry is his favorite person and he always makes him smile._

_“I think of Harry,” Louis responds quietly and his mum nods. She already knew the answer to that and wanted to confirm. She knew they had a special bond. They were closer than most children at this age should be. They were basically attached to the hip. In fact, she half expected little Harry to come along to the mall with them._

_“Do you want to get this for Harry?” His mum asks, and Louis nods eagerly._

_“Please mum. I want them for Hazza and me. Can I use my birthday money?” Louis gives his best puppy eyes._

_“Of course, love,” His mum responds and Louis jumps for joy and hugs his mum._

“Do you like it??” Louis asks, excitedly.

“They are so pretty!! The blue bracelet reminds me of your eyes,” Harry looks at them with a twinkle in his eyes.

“The green one reminds me of yours!! My mum explained the charms to me. Do you know what they mean?” Louis questions. Harry shakes his head. His green eyes filled with confusion as he tries to make them out.

“The compass guides you home and the ship brings you home. You get the blue bracelet with the ship because when I think of home, I think of you. You are my happy place. And I get the green one because it reminds me of your pretty eyes and I’m your compass because I will always be with you and help bring you home, Hazzie,” Louis explains and Harry’s eyes tear up again.

“Oh, no more crying!!!” Louis screeches.

“Sowwie, sowwie, I won’t cry anymore. I love it, boo,” Harry cries and tackles Louis to the floor and gives him a big hug.

“I can help you put it on,” Louis offers and Harry gives him his wrist to put the bracelet on and vice versa.

“Thank you, Louis. I lave it,” Harry thanks Louis profusely and can’t stop hugging him. Harry loves his bracelet so much. Especially, since it was from Louis and it was the color of his eyes—his favorite color.

“I’m happy that you like it. Hazzie, let’s sleep. I know you’re tired,” Louis pulls back from the hug and looks Harry in the eyes. All the crying has made Harry’s eyes an even more piercing green. Louis wipes Harry’s tears with his small hands and grabs Harry’s hand and they both lie down in Louis’s bed.

“You’re my bestest friend in the whole world,” Louis proclaims.

“You’re my bestest friend too,” Harry responds quietly, his voice hoarse from all the crying.

Louis plays with Harry’s curls as they lie in his bed. He loves Harry’s curls. He wishes he had curls like Harry’s. They are so beautiful and soft. He loves the way they feel between his fingers. Harry loves when Louis plays with his hair as well. Harry falls asleep to Louis playing with his hair because the feeling is just so comforting and he is with his favorite person in the whole world. Louis falls asleep shortly after to Harry’s soft adorable snores. He thinks, there is nowhere in the world he would rather be.


	2. Chapter 2

Ella and Mark fight for hours before Mark decides to walk out and tells Ella not to wait up. Ella begs Mark not to leave, but he goes anyway. Ella stands by the door and watches him leave. She contemplates going after him but instead she falls to the floor and cries. 

After a bit, she decides to pick herself up and to go check on Harry. Ella opens Harry’s bedroom door and realizes Harry isn’t in his bed and freaks out.

“Harry?? Harry?? Honey?? Where are you??” Ella frantically goes around the house screaming his name and nothing, no response.

Ella quickly goes downstairs and puts on her shoes and goes next door to Jo’s house to see if Harry managed to sneak over to her place to see her seven-year-old son, Louis. Ella knocks on the door, completely forgetting about the time.

“Ella?” Jo answers the door in a nightgown while rubbing her eyes.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I completely forgot how late it is. But Harry’s missing. He’s not in his bed and I don’t know where he is. Is he over here? Do you know if he is over here??” Ella cries frantically, throwing her hands all over the place.

“Woah, woah. It’s okay. Calm down. It’s okay. Let me go to Louis’s room and check. Actually, why don’t you come with me and check,” Jo responds quickly, worried herself. The news itself woke her up. And she leads Ella to Louis’s room and opens the door quietly and sees Louis and Harry asleep in Louis’s bed. They both breathe out a sigh of relief. Jo’s face softens when she notices that they are in each other’s arms with Louis’s hand tangled in Harry’s hair.

“Love, why don’t you come downstairs for some tea? You look like you need some and we can have a chat. We should let the boys get some sleep,” Jo whispers to Ella. Ella nods and Jo shuts the door gently behind them, careful not to wake the boys. They carefully make their way downstairs and Jo brews the tea in silence.

“Ella, is everything okay?” Jo asks as she hands Ella a cup of tea and sits down next to her with her own cup.

“No, everything is not okay. I really am sorry for just showing up here in the middle of the night and waking you up from your slumber. I’m sorry that Harry is here and sleeping over,” Ella sighs and wraps her hands around the tea for some warmth. Jo knows her friend has been a downright mess lately. The dark circles under her eyes are so prominent and she looks like she has lost a lot of weight. She looks awful.

“It’s fine, no need to apologize, love. You know Harry is like a second son to me and he’s welcome over any time,” Jo brushes off her apology. It really doesn’t bother her at all. She loves Harry and he makes her son happy.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Jo urges Ella to confide in her because she could tell Ella needed the release.

“You know Mark and I have been fighting a lot recently. He came home late a few hours ago looking disheveled… with lipstick on his neck. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was having an affair. We fought for hours and he left the house about 30 minutes ago. He doesn’t care about me. He’s done. He said he will be back for his stuff later. He doesn’t even care about Harry. His son. He is never around. I don’t know what to do,” Ella whispers, defeated.

“Oh hun, I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve this. He’s absolute trash. You and Harry deserve so much better than that dirtbag. I’m so sorry,” Jo reaches for Ella’s hand to try to comfort her. Jo wasn’t surprised but she feels extreme sorrow for her friend. She has met Mark a handful of times and she wasn’t particularly fond of him. He seemed cold and disinterested as a person. She doesn’t know how Ella could have married someone like him. He was the kind of jackass that would be rude to waiters and he was just never around. Harry was at their house most of the time. He would follow Louis everywhere and Louis would always beg her to let Harry stay over and go everywhere with them. They were basically inseparable and it was the absolute cutest thing. She felt that Harry was almost another son to her. Her husband, Dave, was more of a father figure to Harry than Harry’s actually father was. Dave was the one who taught Harry how to ride a bike, how to hit a baseball, and taught him respect and to be kind to others.

“I have to go, I have to leave,” Ella jumps up, an idea hitting her.

“Where? Go where, love??” Jo worries, caught off guard.

“I have family in New York. I have to go and take Harry with me. Thank you for everything, Jo, but I have to go,” Ella informs Jo, determinedly.

“Wait no, you can’t. You have to take some time and think about this. This is a big decision that affects both you and Harry. You can’t make this spur of the moment decision. It isn’t smart. Go home and get some rest. Sleep on it. You need a clear head to make a decision this big,” Jo pleads with Ella. This was such a big decision and New York was on a whole other continent. She can’t just uproot her life like this because of some cheating scumbag.

“Okay, okay, you’re right. I’m going to get some rest. I’m so emotionally and physically drained. I will see you tomorrow. Thank you and I’m sorry, so sorry for waking you up in the middle of the night,” Ella apologizes profusely.

“Don’t apologize, you’re fine, my door is always open,” Jo answers, meaning every word. She really hopes that Ella would make the right choice and decide not to move. She knows this decision would affect Louis immensely.

They hug before parting ways and Ella returns to her flat to get some rest. She had a restless night for the most part. She had too many thoughts running through her head, but she returns to Jo’s flat the next morning, determined. She knew that she needed a fresh start and New York was the answer to that.

She started packing her things as well as Harry’s things. She knows she can’t pack everything so she packs the essentials. She can buy whatever else she needs in New York. She goes over to Jo’s and they are eating breakfast in the kitchen.

“Good morning, love. Good morning, Louis,” Ella greets Harry and Louis, and gives Harry a kiss on the forehead.

“Morning,” Harry and Louis mumble simultaneously, their mouths filled with pancake.

“Hey, no talking with your mouth full,” Ella scolds.

“Sorry, mum,” Harry apologizes after he swallows his food.

“Hey Jo, can I speak to you in the other room?” Ella asks, wanting to inform Jo that she had come to a decision regarding their conversation last night.

“Sure, of course,” Jo is a bit nervous about what Ella has to say. She remembers their conversation last night and would hate for them to move to New York.

“So, I have decided that we are moving. I have called my family in New York and they will make the accommodations for us and I also booked our flight. The flight is in a few hours. We both need a new beginning. And this is really what’s for the best,” Ella explains when they get to the other room. She was determined for a fresh start.

“But what about Harry and Louis? You can’t separate them. You know they have been inseparable since Harry could walk and talk,” Jo tries to reason with her.

“They are too attached to one another anyways. It’s not good for their growth. They need to make new friends and have healthy attachments. Harry will be fine anywhere. He will make new friends in New York,” Ella persists.

“You can’t just separate them like that. They spend every day together. It will hurt the both of them immensely. And I don’t want to see Louis hurt and I’m sure you don’t want Harry to be hurt. He has already had enough hurt. He runs to my flat every time something goes wrong at yours. Where would he run to in New York? He needs a support system,” Jo was getting worked up at how inconsiderate Ella was being. She was putting her feelings over what was best for her child.

“They’ll deal with it. Pain is temporary. Harry will make new friends and we have our family in New York. He will be just fine. I’m sorry, Jo, but we can’t stay. I’m done talking about this. I have made up my mind and it’s not up for discussion. It’s for the best. The distance will do them some good, I promise,” Ella promises, getting quite annoyed herself. It was her life and her choice where she chooses to live.

“Alright, fine. At least let them say goodbye. They deserve at least that,” Jo was defeated. Ella was headstrong and stubborn, and she knows that there is no stopping her from taking Harry and moving to New York.

“Fine, I will give them a moment to say goodbye,” Ella acts like she was actually doing them a favor, but in reality, it was the bare minimum and Jo was angry at how selfish she was being.

“Haz, honey, we are moving to New York,” Ella relays to Harry.

“New… York?” Harry was confused. He doesn’t know what New York is.

“Yes, New York is in another continent, sweetie. We have to take an airplane. Your first plane ride, won’t that be fun?” Ella tries her best to sound excited about it.

“What about daddy? Will Louis come with us??” Harry asks with big eyes.

“I’m sorry, love, but your dad and Louis are not coming with us. It will just be you and me moving. You have to say goodbye to Louis,” Ella responds.

“NO!!!!! I don’t want to go. I want to stay with Louis,” Harry cries and throws a tantrum.

“Harry Edward Styles, you are being incredibly rude right now. We are moving to New York and you don’t have a choice. You have to say goodbye to Louis now or we are just going to leave without saying goodbye,” Ella chastises.

“Lou..” Harry cries and runs over to hug Louis.

“Hazza,” Louis wraps his arms around Harry and starts crying too. And Jo starts tearing up at the sight of them. She hates this. She hates that there is nothing she can do.

“I’m going to miss you so much. I don’t want to go,” Harry is crying so hard that his words are almost inaudible.

“I don’t want you to go too. Please don’t take Haz from me,” Louis begs Harry’s mum.

“I’m sorry, Louis,” Ella responds quietly. She feels bad, she really does. But she can’t stay and she can’t leave Harry behind.

“Harreh, pwomise me that you will always be my best friend,” Louis pleads.

“I pwomise. I will always keep the bracelet you gave me,” Harry promises, and they both stick out their pinkies to seal the deal.

“I will go to New York when I am bigger and guide you home,” Louis promises, and Harry nods before leaning in to press his lips against Louis’s. And Louis was shocked.

“You are very special and I care about you a lot,” Harry explains upon seeing Louis’s face. He has seen Louis’s mum kiss Louis’s dad many times. He asked Louis’s mum about it and she had said to Louis and Harry that it is something you do with someone very special to you and someone you care about a lot. Louis is very special to Harry and he cares about Louis a lot. So, he kisses Louis. And Louis nods in understanding.

“I wuv you and I will see you again,” Louis assures.

“I wuv you too. You pwomise you will come see me?” Harry asks, with a hopeful look in his eyes.

“I pwomise,” And Louis means it and they hook their pinkies together once again. Louis will go to New York and find Harry one day.

“Okay, it’s time to go,” Ella interrupts and ruins the moment, and was quite upset that Harry kissed Louis. 

“NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!” Harry and Louis shout and protest. Ella basically had to pry them apart. Louis even tries to run after them but Jo pulls him into her arms. Louis tries to fight it, but eventually gives up. Harry and Louis cry and look back at each other with their fingers reaching out for one another as Ella carries Harry away from Louis forever…


	3. Chapter 3

“MUM?? MUM!! I GOT ACCEPTED TO COLUMBIA!!!!!” Louis runs around waving the letter of acceptance in the air. Louis had applied for a Psychology program at Columbia University. In New York.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so proud of you, love!” Jo brings her hands to cover her mouth as she cries and pulls Louis in for a hug. Louis has been dreaming of Columbia for as long as he could remember. He has always dreamed of going to New York, but his parents could never afford it.

He still remembers Harry and still wears the bracelet around his wrist. It’s worn out after all these years, but it’s still his most prized possession. He knows Harry is in New York and he wants to see him again. Louis wonders if he still has a mop of curls on his head and if he has aged gracefully. Louis’s mum has an album full of pictures of Louis and Harry, and Harry was the most adorable kid ever. Louis could never forget the cheeky grin or the deep dimples that he loved poking his finger into. He remembers crying for days after Harry left. His mum couldn’t get him to stop and would try to placate him with sweets. It took a while but eventually, Louis stopped crying and made a new friend from school.

_“Hey, are you okay??” Louis sniffles and looks up and sees this boy with big brown eyes that remind Louis of a puppy. Louis was sitting on the slide crying. Louis’s mum all but dragged Louis to the park after Louis holed himself in his room for days after Harry left._

_“My bestest friend in the world moved away,” Louis sniffles._

_“I’m sorry,” The boy looks at him with a sad face._

_“Do you want some m &m’s? My name is Liam,” The boy asks with a small smile and offers him some m&m’s and Louis’s eye widens. They were his favorite sweets._

_“Yes, please. I’m Louis,” Louis nods eagerly. And from that moment, they became best friends._

Liam is his best friend, but he could never replace what he and Harry had. He would be lying if he said Harry wasn’t part of the reason that he wanted to go to school in New York. Louis remembers promising Harry that he will see him again and he intended to keep that promise. New York was the dream.

He hopes Harry hasn’t forgotten him because he most definitely has not forgotten about Harry. Louis’s mum tried to find Ella’s contact information, but after they moved, Ella was untraceable. Ella didn’t bother to call either so they had no way to contact Harry. So, Louis planned to go to New York and find Harry himself, while attending one of the most prestigious colleges in the world. He was in no doubt sad to leave home, but he has been in Doncaster his whole life and it was time for a change in scenery for the next four years.

“LEEYUMMM! I got into Columbia!!” Louis screeches to Liam on the phone shortly after.

“Louis! That’s awesome! I just got a letter from NYU as well! It looks like we are going to college in New York together!” Liam informs excitedly.

“Oh my god!!!! We’re going to have the time of our lives. I’m absolutely buzzing!!” Louis cheers.

Louis and Liam had a month to prepare to move to New York. They found an apartment together in this place called Chinatown. It was a tad pricey, but they had saved up from previous jobs and their tuition was mostly covered by financial aid. They were also planning to work part time when they settled in New York so they should be fine.

Finals, prom, and graduation all flew by pretty quickly. And before they knew it, they were at the airport saying goodbye to their parents and Liam’s girlfriend.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Dani. We’ll come back and see you during school breaks,” Louis reassures tearily and brings Danielle in for a hug before going to say his goodbyes to his parents and giving Liam some time alone with his girlfriend.

“Mum, dad, I’m going to miss you both so much,” Louis’s eyes watering. This is his first time in his 17 years that he is going to be away from his parents. He is so used to seeing his parents every day that it is going to be weird to go from that to just seeing them a few times a year. He was also super excited for a new start, a new beginning—which reminds him of the bracelet of the ship that Harry has. Or he hopes that Harry still has. He is ready for whatever New York has awaiting him.

“We’re going to miss you so much, love,” Louis’s mum cries. She has been crying nonstop since the moment she woke up this morning. Her only child is leaving her. She knew she had to let him go and let him be independent and find himself. She has kept him sheltered enough. She had to let him be free.

“Please call every week, son. It’s going to be weird not having you around. You know we love you so much and we will always be here for you, no matter what you need,” Louis’s dad reassures, attempting a smile. He wanted to seem strong and not let Louis see him cry, but a few tears fall down his cheeks.

“I love you guys. Thank you for everything you have ever done for me. I promise that I will make you proud and do my best and study hard. I will call home every week. I love you. I love you. Now, come here,” Louis pulls them in for a group hug. They hug for a few minutes—none of them willing to let go.

Before they know it, Liam joins in on the group hug after he was done with his farewells to his parents and Danielle.

“Hey Lou, we should go. It is almost time to board,” Liam informs while pulling away from the hug.

“Alright, let’s go. Bye mum, bye dad. I love you. I will call you when we land,” Louis says as he reluctantly pulls away.

“Bye Dave, bye Jo. I love you guys,” Liam echoes and waves goodbye.

“Be safe and stay out of trouble. I love you,” Jo calls after them. And then they were off with two huge suitcases each.

Louis and Liam land in New York 8 hours later. Liam, being the sensible one had booked their flight around 11pm so they could sleep on the plane and not be too jetlagged when they arrived in New York.

Their apartment wasn’t too big. It was definitely way too expensive for such a small space. But it is New York City so they weren’t at all surprised. Everything is way too overpriced here.

They had decided not to unpack yet when they got to the apartment. The first thing they did was call their parents to inform them that they had arrived safely and Liam also called Danielle. They had agreed that Louis would do the grocery shopping and Liam would stay behind and wait for the delivery guys to deliver their furniture as well as clean up the apartment a bit before they officially started unpacking. The apartment was a mess and needed some deep cleaning. Liam was the sensible and more mature one out of them two so they figured Liam would do that. That left Louis to navigate the city with the help of Google Maps. And he prayed he didn’t get lost because Louis was the absolute worst with directions.

Louis finally managed to find a store called Trader Joe’s and most of the products were organic so Liam should be happy about that. Liam was an absolute health nut and Louis was the opposite. Louis loved his junk food and sweets. And Louis filled his cart almost to the brim with many chocolates and crisps. Louis saw that they had marshmallows and immediately grabbed them almost jumping for joy. He loved marshmallows. Then when he turned around, he bumped right into someone.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I got way too excited about these marshmallows,” Louis apologizes and looks up to see the poor victim of his felicity. It was a tall guy and he seemed nice enough not to go off on him. Louis heard that New Yorkers were notoriously known for being extremely rude.  
“Oh, that’s fine. No worries. I was going for the marshmallows as well. I absolutely love them. They are the best,” The guy brushes off the apology.

“Oh, I’m making a good choice then,” Louis responds with a smile and grabs a few more bags.

“Hey, your accent. You’re not from here, are you?” The guy questions curiously.

“Nope, I just moved here from London for school,” Louis answers.

“Oh, that’s so cool. There aren’t much British people around. Obviously. Which school are you attending? I’m at my second year at NYU. Oh, by the way, I’m Luke,” Luke introduces himself with a smile. He looks like a Luke weirdly enough.

“I’m Louis. It’s nice to meet you. I’ll be attending Columbia. Oh, and my best mate slash roommate is going to be attending NYU as well,” Louis smiles.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Louis. And wow, Columbia, that’s awesome. Maybe I’ll see you around if your best mate is also attending NYU,” Luke says thoughtfully.

“Wow, that’s a lot of junk food,” Luke comments while taking a glance at Louis’s shopping cart.

“Yeah, I’m a big fan of sweets. My best mate is absolutely going to hate me when I go back with all this,” Louis chuckles, gesturing to his cart. He could already see Liam scolding him when he gets back.

“Yeah, good luck with that. I have got a bit of a sweet tooth myself. I absolutely love chocolate,” Luke gestures to his own cart full of chocolates.

“Oh, I should get going,” Luke says as he checks the time on his phone, “Hey, is it okay if I get your number? I have lived here my whole life and I can show you around. All the good places. I promise I’m not a serial killer,” Luke jokes. Louis takes a second to contemplate it. Louis takes a good look at Luke and Luke was a good-looking lad and his eyes seemed kind enough. It couldn’t hurt to make a new friend and he seems nice. Louis didn’t see any harm in giving him his number. He could introduce him to Liam since they will be attending the same school. Plus, him and Liam could use a tour guide to show them the hidden gems of New York City.

“I will take your word for it. Yeah, sure. Actually, I’m not even sure of my number. I just got a new one so why don’t you just add yours?” Luke nods and Louis hands Luke his phone to type in his number and Luke texts himself so he could have Louis’s number.

“Alright, I’ll text you. See you later, Louis,” Luke waves.

“Bye Luke,” Louis waves back. And Louis decides then to throw some healthy stuff into his shopping cart as well or Liam would totally go Godzilla on him. He finds greens and fruits and protein bars and throws them into the cart as well as some chicken and other actual foods. The total almost killed Louis on the spot. He had never really done grocery shopping before. He didn’t think the total would be this much. He thinks that that should be enough shopping for a year.

Louis was taking the train back to his apartment after he left the store and was seated on the train when a bracelet catches his eyes. It looked awfully familiar.

Tattered and ragged. And then he sees it. The ship. He freezes in shock. Louis slowly looks up to see who it belonged to and it was a girl??

It was a blonde girl with blue eyes. Louis was confused. Because it was the bracelet that Louis got for Harry. It looked like the exact one.

“What the hell are you looking at? I have a boyfriend,” The girl glares at him.

“Woah, I’m sorry. Your bracelet just looks familiar,” Louis puts his hands up in the air. He was taken back by the rudeness of the girl.

“It’s my boyfriend’s, creep,” She mumbles before walking away from him. Wow, that girl was incredibly rude. But that was weird because that definitely looked like Harry’s bracelet.


	4. Chapter 4

“LEEYUMMMM, I’M BACKKK. Oh my god, come help me with these bags. They are sooo heavy. I can’t feel my arms,” Louis complains while walking into the apartment with 2 shopping bags on each arm.

Liam hurries out from the kitchen with an apron and rubber gloves on and Louis couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. Liam looked like a cute little housemaid.

“Hey, don’t laugh or you’re on your own,” Liam warns. Liam had spent hours cleaning and he still wasn’t done. He was exhausted.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Help me,” Louis pleads as Liam takes two bags off from Louis’s arms and peers into one of them which also happened to be the bag full of junk food.

“Oh my god, Louis. This bag is full of sweets and junk food?? Please tell me that is not all you bought. I should have known not to let you go grocery shopping alone. LOUIS!” Liam exclaims and then sighs of relief when he grabs the other two bags from Louis to look into and sees actual groceries.

“You are never going grocery shopping by yourself again,” Liam chastises and Louis rolls his eyes. Louis shakes his arms all about and groans in pain.

Louis looks around and it seems like most of the furniture that they ordered prior to arriving to New York seems to have all arrived in one piece. And it looked like Liam got a lot of cleaning done. Thank god. Louis absolutely despises cleaning and he’s lucky to have Liam who is a clean freak. They would be living in an absolute pigsty if he had it his way.

“Liam, you will never believe what happened. I have had such an eventful day. I met this guy when I was grocery shopping. Well, more like bumped into him and we started talking…” Louis starts.

“You really have to start watching where you’re going,” Liam interrupts shaking his head.

“But then I wouldn’t have met him. Anyways, I found out that he goes to NYU and I got his number and he said he would love to show you around. I’ll introduce you two. His name is Luke and he seems like a nice lad,” Louis plops down on the sofa and Liam joins him to take a break from cleaning and to listen to Louis’s story, figuring that there is more to it.

“Oh, that’s great. I would love to meet him. I hope he isn’t a weirdo or a stalker or murderer or anything. I never know what you will bring home,” Liam sounds excited at first, but then he starts to worry.

“Wait does he know where we live?? How well do you know this guy??” Liam panics. Louis totally expected him to go down this route. It’s classic Liam behavior. Liam is a complete worrywart but he loves him for it.

“He doesn’t know where we live. We separated at the store. Oh, and don’t worry, he told me he wasn’t an ax murderer, you’re fine,” Louis reassures and Liam rolls his eyes. This boy’s judgment is seriously deranged. He doesn’t know how Louis has survived all these years.

“Oh, and let me tell you what happened when I was taking the train back here. I was sitting, right? And then I saw a bracelet from the corner of my eye. It was the same bracelet that I gave to Harry. Like the exact same and of course it was worn out, but I looked to the owner of the bracelet and it was a blonde girl. I was so confused because it literally looked the same. It was all worn out too. Like, she had it for years. I mean what are the chances?” Louis continues babbling on. Louis was 1000% sure that it was the same bracelet.

“I mean I’m sure that the bracelets that you bought were sold elsewhere as well. I don’t think it was the only copy in the world. It seems like a weird coincidence,” Liam reasons. Between the two of them, Liam is definitely the more sensible one and keeps Louis on his toes.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Louis ponders, giving it some thought.

“And oh my god, the girl saw me looking at her bracelet and she went ballistic on me. It was absolutely nuts because she thought I was checking her out but I’m so obviously gay and she wasn’t even that attractive. It was so embarrassing. New Yorkers are so rude,” Louis grimaces, cringing at the memory.

“Oh my god, that’s so funny. I wish I could have seen that,” Liam bursts into a laughing fit.

“HEY! It’s not funny. It was so embarrassing,” Louis pouts and hits Liam’s arm repeatedly to get him to stop. The whole train was watching the interaction and giving him weird looks and Louis was absolutely mortified.

“Okay, okay. Poor Lou. It sounds like you have had an eventful day for sure. How about we walk around the neighborhood and find a place to get some dinner? That will cheer you up,” Liam suggests after he stops laughing. He needed a break from cleaning and had to get out of the apartment.

They were on their way out of their apartment when they noticed their neighbors coming over to introduce themselves.

“Hey, you must be our new neighbors. I’m Niall and this is Zayn,” One of the lads greets cheerily and the other gives a small smile. The lad had blonde hair and a bright smile and he seemed like a cheery, upbeat lad. The other lad had jet black hair styled up into a quiff and he was wearing a leather jacket and he looked super chill.

“Hey, I’m Liam and this is Louis. We just moved from England. It’s nice to meet you lads,” Liam smiles and Louis waves at the lads.

“Oh, that’s cool. Our best friend is from England as well. British accents are so cool. I wish I had a British accent. Why can’t I be British??” Niall whines and Zayn rolls his eyes.

“Sorry about him. He’s like a child,” Zayn informs and that elicits a “hey” from Niall and some bickering.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt but if you could just point us to somewhere with good food that would be greatly appreciated,” Louis interrupts and Liam elbows Louis’s side and gives him a look that tells him that he’s being rude.

“I’m sorry about Louis. We were actually on our way out for food. We’re starving. Any recommendations?” Liam reiterates politely.

“Actually, we were thinking of grabbing some dinner as well. We’ll come with you,” Niall claps excitedly and Zayn elbows Niall’s side as well.

“I guess I should apologize for him too. Niall loves food and will eat anything in sight and tends to invite himself everywhere where there is food involved. I had to get a job to feed his appetite,” Zayn sighs, “I hope you guys don’t mind us coming along with you. If you feel uncomfortable with it, that’s totally fine. We understand,” Zayn gives a reassuring smile.

“Oh no, you’re fine. We don’t know where anything is and we would love a tour around the neighborhood. We would hate to get lost and you lads are right next door. It’s perfect. Plus, Louis here is terrible with directions so I would rather us not be stranded in a new place,” Liam nods eagerly. He doesn’t trust Louis to lead them anywhere. He knows his navigation skills are the worst.

“Hey, I’m not that bad. I made it back here in one piece,” Louis pouts, feeling offended by Liam’s words.

“Yeah, hours later. I thought you got kidnapped. I was ready to call the cops on you after the 3-hour mark,” Liam rolls his eyes and Louis crosses his arms on his chest and pouts some more. It took him awhile to find a grocery store and then he kept walking down the wrong block and going in circles and there was a long line at Trader Joe’s and then he kept getting on the wrong train. It wasn’t his fault. New York is just confusing. Too many streets and too many trains.

“Okay, let’s go!! I’m hungry!!!!!!!!!!!!” Niall whines and gives Zayn his puppy eyes.

“Yup, let’s go. We’re going. I’m absolute famished,” Louis agrees.

“YESSSSS!” Niall cheers and hooks his arm around Louis’s and drags Louis with him while Zayn and Liam look at each other and just follow suit.

“So, what are we going to eat? Omg there are so many options. I could go for anything right now,” Niall yammers on to Louis.

“I just want food in my system. Anything. I’m absolutely starving. I might die,” Louis puts his hand to his forehead dramatically. Louis and Niall go on about how hungry they are and bicker about what they want to eat. Zayn and Liam just roll their eyes at each other, figuring that they will just let those two decide where they were going. Liam tries his best to pay attention to his surroundings so at least he knows what is around. He can’t be as carefree as Louis. One of them has to be responsible and it always has to be him. He doesn’t really mind it. Louis is like a brother to him.

The area they live in isn’t too bad. A lot of Chinese stores and restaurants and the streets are pretty lively at night. All the lights. Liam could get used to this.

“So, why did you guys move to New York?” Zayn asks Liam, as they walk side by side and Liam glancing at Louis once in a while to keep an eye on him.

“Oh, we moved for university. I will be attending NYU in the next two weeks and Louis will be attending Columbia. We wanted to get a feel of the city before classes start,” Liam replies. He can’t wait to go exploring, but he was exhausted from the flight as well as the cleaning.

“Oh wow, Niall and I will actually be attending NYU as well. It’s pretty close to here and we can definitely show you around. It’s nice to finally have some neighbors our age,” Zayn grins.

“Yeah, I’m super glad to have met you lads,” Liam smiles, genuinely meaning it, “So, what are you going to be studying at NYU?” Liam asks Zayn curiously.

“I’m undecided at the moment but I really love drawing and art. How about you?” Zayn replies. Zayn seems like the artsy type. He has this vibe about him that makes him seem super chill and mysterious in a way.

“Oh, that’s awesome. I can’t draw for shit. I would love to see your work sometime if you don’t mind showing me. And I was thinking of studying English but nothing is set in stone ya know,” Liam says, genuinely interested. Liam would love to take a peek into what goes on in Zayn’s mind. Liam has a thing for actually getting to know someone and their likes and dislikes. It’s one way in which him and Louis are similar.

“Wow, English. You must be a smart cookie. You look it. And yeah, I would love to show you my work sometime,” Zayn’s eyes light up. Liam could tell that it was something that Zayn was proud of and wanted to show off.

“I can tell that you are really into art. People, in general, are rarely passionate about things. And I think it’s one of the best things to see the light in someone’s eyes when they talk about something they love, and your eyes definitely just lit up right now. It’s admirable,” Liam says so frankly.

“Thank you. It’s always been something I loved doing since I was a little kid. I used to be a quiet kid and I guess drawing was a way for me to express myself in my own way,” Zayn blushes.

“Oh, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I like people who bare their souls out. It’s cute,” Liam teases.

“Anyways, how do you like New York so far?” Zayn asks, trying to change the subject and get the attention off himself.

“I haven’t really seen much yet. Except our apartment. I’m actually quite nervous about starting school here. Not sure what to expect,” Liam responds, getting the hint that Zayn didn’t really want to talk much about himself anymore. Zayn was quite shy, it was adorable.

“Oh, Niall and I could definitely show you and Louis around. We’re free tomorrow if you guys are down to do some exploring,” Zayn offers.

“That actually sounds great. I’m really glad we met you guys. Wait, where are we right now?” Liam looks around and he has no idea if they are lost or not, but they had been walking for about twenty minutes. Every street looks different and there is just so much going on that Liam feels out of place.

“We’re actually in the Soho area right now—which is a pretty rich, fancy neighborhood. I’m not sure where we are going right now though—Niall??” Zayn calls out after Niall and Niall turns around to look at them.

“Oh, we’re going for burgers and fries. We’re almost there, literally a block away,” Niall reassures Liam.

“YAYYY! I’m tired of walking. My feet hurt,” Louis complains, slightly stomping his foot like a child.

“Louis,” Liam warns. Liam doesn’t know how he dealt with Louis all these years. He must be a saint.

“Ugh, sorry dad. I’m just really hungry. I can barely think straight,” Louis pouts.

“Okay, okay, we’re here,” Niall announces and Louis cheers. Niall and Louis all but run into the burger place, while Liam and Zayn shake their heads and walk quickly after them and hope that Niall and Louis don’t do too much damage before they catch up to them.

Meanwhile, the girl that went ballistic on Louis on the train was meeting up with her boyfriend at his place.

“Hey Chloe, have you seen my bracelet??” Harry asks, when she walks through his door. He can’t believe he took it off and now he can’t find it anywhere. He took it off yesterday because his wrist was itching.

“Hmm what bracelet?” Chloe asks, and then he sees it on her wrist.

“What the hell are you doing wearing my bracelet?” Harry almost yells.

“I thought it was cute and put it on. What’s your problem?” Chloe asks nonchalantly, not seeing a problem with her wearing his bracelet.

“My problem is that it is MY bracelet and you can’t just take my things without asking,” Harry spats, trying so hard to calm down. He has spent almost an hour looking for it and tore his room apart and she had it this whole time.

“Fine, whatever. All this over a dumb bracelet. Here,” Chloe takes off the bracelet and throws it at him and storms out.

Harry lets out a heavy sigh of relief. He’s never taking the bracelet off again. He can’t ever let the bracelet out of his sight ever again. It is the only thing he has left of Louis.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey love, did I just see Chloe storm out of here? I thought you two were hanging out,” Harry’s mum knocks on his door a few minutes after Chloe leaves.

“Not anymore,” Harry responds drily. He’s sick of his mum butting into his business all the time.

“And why not?” Ella asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

“She took my bracelet without asking,” Harry states, devoid of any emotion and his mum asks what bracelet and he points to the one Louis gave him.

“Harry Styles, you have had that bracelet for long enough. It’s been what? 10 years? You need to get rid of it. You haven’t seen Louis in 10 years. You aren’t going to see him again. You need to get that thought through your head. If you were to see him again, don’t you think you would have already? You two were just kids when you met and now, you’re practically all grown up. It’s time to let him go and move on. Holding on won’t do you any good. He isn’t the love of your life or your soulmate. This is just any dumb old bracelet. Don’t ruin your relationship with Chloe over a dumb bracelet. I’m saying this for your own good. Call her right now and apologize,” Ella lectures with a scornful look on her face.

Ella was quite done with all of this. It was hard enough when they first moved to New York. Harry wouldn’t stop crying. He cried all the way through the flight and for the first few weeks in New York. She was 100% sure that he would have moved on already. He wasn’t in love with Louis. There was no way he could have been. They were just kids and they didn’t know anything. But here they were, 10 years later and Harry still has the bracelet on his wrist. It’s all worn out but yet, he still wears it. There is no way her son is gay. Ella refused to believe it.

Ella was actually the one who introduced Chloe to Harry. Chloe was a family friend and her parents were really well-off. Harry never really dated or brought any girls home so she figured she would introduce her to him. They seemingly really hit it off. Chloe was very much into Harry, and they just started dating shortly after they met.

“Whatever,” Harry responds indifferently. To be honest, Harry didn’t know why he was dating Chloe. He cared about Chloe as much as the next person—as much as he would a stranger. He found her particularly annoying and she was really spoiled. He just wanted to get his mum off his case about girls. He was never really into girls in the first place. He could never tell his mum that. She would freak out. She so desperately wants to believe that Harry is straight. But there was a reason that he kissed Louis. Even from the age of 5, he knew he was different. He didn’t necessarily know why. His attachment to Louis was something he didn’t understand back then. He remembers crying for weeks when they first moved to New York and his mum got so frustrated with him that she lost it so many times and screamed at him to stop. His mum didn’t even try to get in contact with Louis for him. She wanted Louis out of their lives completely. He thinks she knows. She knows that he’s not entirely straight. And that’s why she forced Chloe on him.

His mum doesn’t get him at all. He feels that she is trying to shape him into this person that he has no interest in being. He honestly can’t wait till he can move out for college in a year. Harry was counting down the days. He just needs to get away and be who he really is. He had no choice in moving to New York, but he has a choice in which school he decides to go to. He has thought about moving back to London, but he couldn’t do that to his mum. Plus, he has come to love New York. He will go back to visit London eventually, but he doesn’t know about moving back there. His main goal is just getting away from his mum at the moment. It’s a terrible thing to say. He knows. Harry is just tired of suppressing who he really is to make his mum happy.

Eventually, Harry decides that he needs to apologize to Chloe. He did overreact. Plus, he feels bad that he is dating her out of obligation to his mum. He has no actual feelings for her and he feels quite bad about it, but there’s not much he can do. He has never particularly found himself attracted to girls. He has had crushes on guys before, nothing too serious. Chloe knows it too. She tries to take things a tad further when they kiss, but he stops her before they get too far. He thinks she knows, but she’s just in denial. He feels bad because he knows that she really likes him and is hoping that he will just eventually fall for her. But Harry knows it’s not going to happen.

Harry gives Chloe a call to apologize. He knows that she didn’t go home, and is probably just shopping around Soho. She is always shopping. Her parents are loaded and can luckily afford the luxury of Chloe’s shopping habits.

“Hello?” Chloe answers the phone with a neutral tone. She doesn’t seem too upset.

“Hey Chloe. Listen, I’m really sorry about before. Can you come back to mine and we’ll talk, please?” Harry apologizes and Chloe agrees and tells him that she is on her way.

Chloe arrives 20 minutes later with a bunch of shopping bags.

“Wow, it’s only been an hour, hasn’t it?” Harry stares at the bags in shock.

“Yeah, well, I was really upset,” Chloe replies, her eyes shooting daggers at Harry. Obviously, she was still upset.

“Yeah, I’m really sorry, Chloe. The bracelet is just really important to me. A childhood friend gave it to me and it is the only thing I have left of him. I took it off for the first time in 10 years and it went missing and I freaked out. I’m sorry,” Harry explains, genuinely apologetic.

“Who is this childhood friend?” Chloe asks, curiously.

“He’s not anyone you know, for sure. He lives in my hometown, Doncaster,” Harry replies. He doesn’t really remember London anymore, but he could never forget Louis.

“Oh, I see. Well, I guess that’s fine then. I’m sorry for taking the bracelet without asking. I just thought it was cool and it matched my outfit. I thought it was any old bracelet. Oh, that reminds me! Some freak on the train was checking me out when I was on my way over here before. It was the creepiest thing. He told me that the bracelet looked familiar. He had a British accent, I think,” Chloe recalls.

“Wait what??” Harry’s eyes widen. Could it be Louis?? There was no way it could be, right??

“Yeah, he definitely wasn’t from here. I went off on him too. I kind of feel bad about it now. He didn’t look like a creep. He was actually pretty cute—” Chloe goes on.

“Wait, Chloe, stop,” Harry interrupts, “What did he look like?” He asks.

“Um, I think he had brown hair, yeah, brown hair and blue eyes. He looked really small and he had a bunch of groceries. He looked pretty out of place. Had a touristy look in his eyes,” Chloe recalls thoughtfully. That sounds like his Louis. But what would Louis be doing in New York? Could it be possible that he is in New York? Harry didn’t know what to think. He was still shell-shocked. It’s not possible. He’s sure that if Louis was in New York, he would have reached out to him or looked for him. That is, if Louis hasn’t forgotten about him. Harry shakes that thought from his head. Yeah, it definitely was not Louis. Harry brushes it off.

But that didn’t stop Harry from thinking about Louis for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, Louis, Liam, Zayn, and Niall had a great time at the burger place. Liam really felt like he has known them for years. Louis and Niall are basically the same person. They both love food and are pretty overly dramatic. Their personalities mash really well. Liam feels like he has an American Louis now. And Zayn was probably one of the coolest people he has ever met. He seems shy at first but when you get to know him, there is so much depth to him.

Liam thought he would be homesick on the first day, but he feels as if this was his new home now. It’s something he could definitely get used to. Living alone with his best mate in the city that never sleeps. This was his first time in a place that wasn’t Doncaster. Like Louis, he hasn’t really traveled much so New York was a whole new world to him. And he loves it so far. The weather is much better than the weather in London. Less gloomy. The New York air sucks but there is just something about the atmosphere and the environment that makes you feel blissful, and even if something goes wrong, it makes you feel like it will all be okay. Liam feels that it is hard to be sad here when there is just so much to do to distract yourself. New York City is known for the nightlife and the lively streets. Liam was ready to take advantage of whatever New York has to offer him. He was never one to let an opportunity get away from him and he wasn’t going to start anytime soon.

“Hey, Liam? Is that your phone ringing?” Zayn asks. They were on their way back to their place, and Zayn snapped Liam out from his thoughts and his bright eyes were taken away from the alluring buildings and sights around.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Liam smiles apologetically and takes out his phone to see that it’s Danielle calling. And Zayn goes to join Louis and Niall’s conversation to give Liam some privacy.

“Hey, Dani, what’s up?” Liam greets when he picks up the phone.

“Hey, hey, love? What’s wrong??” Liam asks frantically when he hears Danielle crying on the line.

“I—I miss you, Li,” Danielle chokes out and Liam’s heart breaks. He hated knowing that she was so upset.

“Please don’t cry, Dani. You know I miss you too,” Liam tries to soothe her as a frown makes its way to his face. And spends the next few minutes trying to dispel her tears and eventually, she stops crying and he hangs up with an ‘I love you’ and Liam sighs of relief.

“Hey, is everything okay? You looked worried back there,” Zayn asks, as he slows down and falls into step with Liam again.

“Yeah, I’m fine. My girlfriend from home was upset because she missed me. This is the first time we have been apart for the past two years. So, the distance is hard,” Liam explains sadly.

“Oh, you have a girlfriend?” Zayn has an unreadable expression on his face.

“Yeah, he does. She is one of the sweetest girls. I don’t know what she’s doing with Liam,” Louis jokingly butts in and Liam rolls his eyes.

“I’m not sure why I don’t have a boyfriend though. I mean look at my ass. Who wouldn’t want this?” Louis sasses and sticks his ass out, and Niall and Zayn break out into laughter and Liam just slaps a hand to his forehead. He really can’t deal with Louis sometimes.

Liam and Louis spend the next few days hanging out with Zayn and Niall. They went sightseeing and hung out in each other’s apartments and had almost every meal together. They were inseparable. Liam and Louis were so glad that they met some great people already. It was hard moving to a new city, let alone a whole other country, but they were getting along just fine.

Louis and Luke made plans to hang out almost a week after they met. They agreed to hang out at a coffee shop and just walk around and take in the city. Louis was getting ready to leave to go meet up with Luke when Niall bursts through the front door.

“LOUIS! LOUIS! I’m boredddddddddddd,” Niall whines and plops down on the couch.

“Nialler, go hang out with Zayn. I’m about to leave,” Louis rolls his eyes.

“Zayn kicked me out of his room. He’s busy drawing and brewing up a storm and told me to come hang out with you,” Niall pouts, “Where are you going? Can I come?” Niall asks excitedly.

“I’m meeting with a new friend, Luke. Hmm, let me text him and see,” Louis ponders.

_Hey Luke, I’m about to leave my apartment. Is it okay if I bring a friend? x_

Luke texts back almost immediately:  
 _Of course 😊_

“He says you can come. Let’s go. I don’t want to be late,” Louis drags Niall by the arm and out of his apartment.


End file.
